


Petals and Persuasions

by sniffingoutmywilltolive



Category: Sanders Sides (Web Series)
Genre: Hanahaki Disease, M/M
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-10-26
Updated: 2020-11-07
Packaged: 2021-03-09 04:20:29
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 2
Words: 1,717
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27018700
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/sniffingoutmywilltolive/pseuds/sniffingoutmywilltolive
Summary: Virgil had known for a couple of weeks before this. If he had to guess he’d say about 26 days. 26 days the knowledge that he was in love with Roman sanders had sat heavy on his mind. 15 days of a scratchy and brutally sore throat. 12 days of coughing up shreds of leaves and small thorns. And now, Virgil thought, two hours of coughing up entire petals, red as the blood that followed.
Relationships: Anxiety | Virgil Sanders/Creativity | Roman "Princey" Sanders, Dark Creativity | Remus "The Duke" Sanders/Deceit | Janus Sanders, Logic | Logan Sanders/Morality | Patton Sanders, Minor or Background Relationship(s)
Comments: 10
Kudos: 54





	1. Sniping Stems

Virgil had known for a couple of weeks before this. If he had to guess he’d say about 26 days. 26 days the knowledge that he was in love with Roman sanders had sat heavy on his mind. 15 days of a scratchy and brutally sore throat. 12 days of coughing up shreds of leaves and small thorns. And now, Virgil thought, two hours of coughing up entire petals, red as the blood that followed.

 _Shit_.

His fingers slid off the side of the sink, slippery from wiping the blood off his chin. He was in love with Roman Sanders and he was going to die because of it.

~~~

_Hanahaki Disease: A fictional disease in which a person who experiences or thinks they are experiencing unrequited love begins to cough up flowers, starting with leaves and thorns, then petals and ending with full flowers, until the blossoms fill the lungs and the ill can no longer breathe. The disease has two cures: a surgery that removes the flowers from the chest but also removes the victims ability to love the other or a declaration of love from the one the victim adores._

Virgil reads the wiki article two days later, curled under the covers well past three in the morning. He had been searching variations of _cough + petals + blood_ for the better half of the night. The only constant result being this so-called disease - a fictional one at that. He sighed, rolling away from his now shut laptop. Of course he’d be the side to get a fictional disease over a stupid prince.

_That pompous asshole. He walks around like he owns everyone’s heart, why would he care about mine._

Virgil knows he should talk to Roman. Sit him down and just say “I’m in love with you, you big jerk” but he can’t. He couldn’t handle the rejection. The cold truth weighing down the Prince’s haloed head. The borderline-flirting banter replaced with small talk. It couldn’t be very good for Thomas either. His dreams and anxiety in harmony.

Harmony.

That made Virgil pause his spiral. He thought about his encounter with Roman yesterday.

_The sun was setting and Virgil and Roman were on the couch. Roman sat crisscross, his bright red socks poking out from beneath bent knees and strong thighs, sketch book in lap. A purple colored pencil sat between his lips. Virgil couldn’t see what the side was drawing but he didn’t particularly care. He had been “scrolling through tumblr” since the prince first looked down at his pad. Realistically he had liked a picture of a cat and reblogged Remus’ post about octopi, before he had glimpsed Roman out of the corner of his eye and became quite captivated._

_The prince had the colors of the sunset reflected on his face. Reds and oranges laid nicely on his jawline and sharp chin, yellow made his lips and button nose seem to glow and the peaking blues of the night shadowed his eyes, highlighting his furrowed brow and styled hair as he furiously erased. Small gasps of excitement and the scratch of pencil on paper were the only noises in the room and Virgil for once didn’t mind the near silence that encompassed them. It was comfortable really. A moment of bliss. Roman made Virgil comfortable._

_Roman, boisterous and hotheaded as he may be, made Virgil feel the safest. His height (something Virgil once saw as intimidating) added to the sense of security. Sure Patton was great and Logan was a room away, but Roman, beautiful Roman, made Virgil feel as though he could curl up and sleep. Sleep soundly, wholly, with Roman’s strong arms wrapped around him._

_“I finished my drawing!” The prince said smiling to turn to the anxious side. “Would you like to see?”_

_“Sure.”_

_“It’s you.”_

_Roman turned the pad toward Virgil. A small drawing sat centered on the page. It was Virgil, there was no doubt. Bangs were falling in his eyes and eyeshadow faded out just beneath them. The purple pencil had been used only on the patches of Virgil’s jacket, leaving the rest of the drawing a black and white piece. Something was different though. There was no grimace or sarcastic smirk on drawing-Virgil’s face, but rather a small, genuine smile._

_At this point Virgil was practically on top of Roman. He hadn't even noticed himself slowly moving closer as he studied the drawing. He looked up at Roman._

_“It’s nice Princey, but I’m surprised you drew me with a smile. I don't really D O that.”_

_“It’s my favorite.” Roman breathed out. “When you smile like that I feel as though it’s reserved only for me and I can’t help but return the favor.”_

_A smile grew then on Roman’s face and Virgil almost unconsciously smiled back._

_“There it is.” Roman said as he stretched out his arm, allowing his fingers to brush where Virgil’s hood met his neck. Virgil felt color rush to his cheeks and smiled wider. Then he coughed. And coughed. Roman, the spell now broken, was immediately at Virgil’s side, and Virgil just about fell into his arms._

_“Are you alright my friend”_

_**Friend**. _

_Virgil pushed him away after that. He ran to his room and slammed the door. Heaving, he reached the sink and finally let the petals fall freely. A dozen or so pushed their way to the out of his mouth staining the porcelain._

Virgil’s not wanting to stray too far from the sink mixed with the comfort of a second door between him and the other sides meant him sleeping in the tub for the night. He barely got in two hours before the sun rose and the sounds of the other sides arising began to filter through the mind palace.


	2. A Botanist's Breakfast

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A soft morning in the Mindscape

Virgil made his way to the kitchen in his nightmare before Christmas pj pants and an old t-shirt of Roman’s that was now too small for the prince, but looked big on the lankier side's slim form. Patton and Logan were seated at the kitchen table. Both were reading books and there was a plate of toast, jam and butter in front of them.

“I’m sorry to inform you Virgil, but we seem to have run out of coffee.” Logan said, clenching his empty mug.

Virgil offered a muffled ‘thanks’ and a groan in return. He poured himself a bowl of Fruit Loops and sat down next to Patton.

“But I just bought some coffee a few days ago!” Patton said.

“Sorry about that Padre but I had a bit of an accident yesterday”. Romans voice preceded him as he entered the room.

The prince for once was dressed normally. Red plaid pajama pants that hung low on his hips were paired with a simple white tee shirt. Virgil noticed that the tee shirt hung loosely on Roman’s form (which was not as toned as it usually was, though why would Virgil even know that ;)). and there were bags underneath his eyes.

“What happened?” Patton asked, concern contorting his features.

“I dropped the bag of coffee in my early morning rush and lost about ¾ of it.” He smiled awkwardly and finally made his way to the chair next to Virgil.

“No problem kiddo,” Patton smiled. “Just promise me next time you’ll tell me before I begin to question my memory.”

“Will do.” The prince said, giving a half-hearted salute. He pulled a piece of toast onto his empty plate.

“We actually have something to tell you.” Logan piped up, locking his hands with Patton’s on the table.

“What’s up Mom?” Virgil teased, smirking at the look Logan threw his way.

“Patton and I are coming up on our one year anniversary this friday so we are going to spend the weekend in the Imagination so you---”

“Lo’s planned the whole thing!” Patton interrupted. “We're staying in a cozy little cabin on a lake!”

“Yes.” The logical side continued, turning his eyes to his boyfriend with a small smile on his face.

_I wish Roman looked at me that way._ Virgil brain supplied. He was surprised by how easily the thought had come to his mind.

“As I was about to say, you two are going to have the weekend to yourselves. I believe Remus and Janus will only join you for dinner on Friday night.”

_Shit. A weekend alone with Roman._

“Sounds good specs.” Roman smiled. “Virge, can u pass me the jam and butter please?”

_Virge. There it was again. The subtle tenderness in all their conversations. Everytime Roman addressed Virgil, it was there, just below the surface. It left a nice, warm feeling in his stomach, Virgil conceded. Long gone were the days of being called Anxiety, now nicknames were usually the only way Roman addressed him. Virge and Emo seemed to be his go - to’s but if he spent the day with Remy, Roman would call Virgil babe, and if he spent too much time with Patton and Logan, the pet names would start. Hun or dear or angel - they just about made Virgil’s heart stop, especially since his little revelation._

_Two weeks after this revelation, Virgil and Roman were eating dinner later in the afternoon. Roman had been baking with Patton all morning before Logan surprised Patton with an evening date. This left Roman and Virgil alone, as Remus and Janus had their own plans for the evening. The two sides sat next to each other at the dinner table. Virgil soon became lost in his thoughts per usual, not particularly listening to Roman’s babbling about the Tony’s. However, he turned back in just as Roman was attempting to reach for a bowl on the other side of the table. After failing to reach, he turned to Virgil, eyes shining, and said “Could you pass me that bowl?”_

_Virgil complied immediately and Roman responded “Thank’s darling.”_

_The bastard didn’t even look up, Virgil remembered._

_That night he had drank three cups of tea before midnight, his throat suddenly raw._

Turning back into the present, Virgil quickly handed Roman the jam jar, hoping no one noticed him zoning out.

“You forgot the butter.” Roman said, softly laughing.

Virgil handed it to him with haste, suddenly eager to leave. He felt a coughing fit coming on as Roman’s laughter played on loop in his head.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Do you guys want to see some of Janus/Remus and Logan/Patton or would you prefer the story to stay trained on Roman and Virgil?

**Author's Note:**

> Hi y'all this is my first work I'm posting on here so please let me know what you think :D!


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